What causes you to delay taking initiative in your leadership position? (118-1)

Initiative is defined as the ability to act and make decisions without the leading of other people. Initiative is the first step in a process that, once taken, determines subsequent events. High performing leaders have the ability to take initiative. Read Nehemiah 1:4-2:8.

It had been over three quarters of a century since the first Jewish exiles returned to Judah and Jerusalem. Nehemiah lived in Babylon and served the Persian King Artaxerxes directly as his cupbearer and personal attendant. He had never visited Judah but being from a Jewish heritage sought reports from groups that traveled to Judah and then returned to Babylon. His brother was part of one of those groups and brought a very discouraging report concerning the capitol city of Jerusalem. The city walls remained in ruin even though some of the Jews had returned 78 years ago, the city could not protect itself, and the people were living in disgrace. Nehemiah couldn’t imagine doing nothing when he heard the walls of Jerusalem had not been repaired. Nehemiah demonstrated that when a leader with initiative knows something in his heart (or gut) they are prompted to act.

There are some universal qualities of initiative that Nehemiah displayed:

• Nehemiah knew the desired outcome. He knew he wanted to see the wall up and the people safe and taking pride in God’s chosen city.
• Nehemiah had a burning desire to change the situation. Leaders with initiative can’t stop thinking about the project; the project gets their every waking and sleeping hour.
• Nehemiah didn’t just think about the matter; he fasted and prayed about it. The Christian leader with initiative keeps the project in constant prayer.
• Nehemiah pushed himself to act. He pushed himself to pray in earnest and to fast and humble himself before God. He pushed himself to get the facts. Overcoming personal apathy is always part of the personality of a leader with initiative.
• Nehemiah took risks. He could have been imprisoned or executed for suggesting to the king that he wanted to leave his service. He could have seemed greedy or self serving asking the king for letters to gain resources for the project and an armed guard for the trip. Leaders with initiative don’t always have all the facts or answers before they start but they are willing to take risks to get a project started.
• Nehemiah was willing to work with the human resources that were available. Nehemiah took the chance of working with people that had not even started reconstructing the wall in the 75+ years they had lived in Jerusalem. He was willing to work with individuals that were not professional contractors or skilled craftsmen. Leaders with initiative don’t wait for every circumstance to be perfect before they start.
• Nehemiah had to make decisions based on instinct rather than experience. He was not a professional contractor or soldier. Nehemiah made some decisions based on his gut feeling. Leaders with initiative make up with passion what they lack in experience.

A leader’s failure to act can sometimes harm their ability to lead as much as taking initiative without all the facts or any guarantee of success. Of all the things a leader should fear, complacency should be near the top of the list. Effective leaders take initiative which is often preemptive actions to deal with specific problems or needs of their team. Which of the characteristics Nehemiah demonstrated is most likely to cause you to delay taking the initiative in your leadership position? List two actions you can take that may help you overcome lack of initiative in these areas. Ask God to give you wisdom and to remind you each time you fail to act in this area.